Top Free Web Hosting Solutions You Should Look For

When you are taking your business into the online world, there are many factors in play. However, budget is one of the crucial aspects that you need to deem carefully. You have to invest in several things while creating your place in the online world. In all those things, the online presence of your business holds the highest priority. To give a kickstart to your online expedition, getting a free hosting provider with reliable services is an excellent bargain. There are tons of companies out there offering free services. But, remember, everything that shines is not always gold. Here, in this article, we have listed the top free web hosting services with outstanding features. Now you can select the best option according to your needs.

Exclusive Comparison table

Who should consider free web hosting services?

Well, free web hosting is never bad for anyone. However, it is best suited for beginners who are entering the online world. The free hosting plans are quite beneficial for the greenhorns. They can definitely save you money which you can concentrate on other aspects to grow your business. Further, with free options, you get the freedom to experiment with different providers. You can also easily funnel down the one that caters to your needs properly. Besides all this, there is no risk of losing any money with the free plan. This is critical for any business looking to create a solid user base in the online world.

Moreover, with free website hosting you’re free to upscale anytime. The demands of the business will elevate at some point. So, without any further delay, let us dive into the list.

9 best free web hosting sites that we trust

1. Google Cloud

When it comes to the best free hosting, Google shines among the top options in the market. You can host static and dynamic websites in a matter of no time. Even with no coding knowledge or experience, you can easily create an interactive website and boost your brand’s name. Get access to free Linux hosting, MySQL, PHP, and Apache HTTP servers to host blogs and applications. You also get resources worth 300$ credit in your account in the free trial of 90 days. After the completion of these 90 days, you have to upgrade your account according to your requirements. Credit card number needs to be added, however, to avail the free trial.

Our Expert Rating: 100% Pros Ample days to test the resources of the program Sufficient amount of resources in the free trial Hassle-free sign-in process Cons No dedicated support Credit card compulsory to avail free trial

2. Kamatera

Well, with 13 data centers spread across 4 continents, you get several options to choose your data center. This ensures you get better data availability and low latency time. Kamatera offers free Linux hosting and Windows hosting for the first 30 days. So you can get familiar with all the features properly. In case you want to scale up, you can get the resources in a jiffy without any unnecessary hassle. The platform promises 99.95% uptime so that you can deliver an excellent experience to your visitors. In case you need any help or guidance, Kamatera has round the clock premium support.

Our Expert Rating: 98% Pros Premium human 24/7 support Interactive management tools 30-day free trial Cons No shared hosting is available Prices rise up exponentially with managed services

3. Weebly

Now create your amazing online presence easily with the help of Weebly’s free hosting services. You get free domain registration and hosting with the Weebly branding. Besides this, the provider gives you free SSL certificates for your website. This helps you in elevating the trust level with your clients and earning more profits. The best thing about Weebly is that you get the power of SEO which will allow you to elevate your brand awareness. Further, you get access to the community, chat, and email support on all the issues you face.

Our Expert Rating: 94% Pros Free SSL certificate Easy joining process Free access to Contact Forums Cons No eCommerce support

4. FreeHosting.com

If you are looking for free hosting with cPanel, then FreeHosting.com will cater to your needs in the best way. It offers all the resources to launch your website to grow your business. The free access to the cPanel allows you to complete the operations in less time and focus more on your brand services. You get the best free hosting, unlimited bandwidth, one email, and a MySQL database in the free trial. The trial period has no limit. In case, you need more resources you can easily shift to the paid options to get access to premium features.

Our Expert Rating: 94% Pros Interactive site builder Easy to use app installer with an armory of 400+ apps Unlimited FTP accounts Cons No subdomain No domain registration

5. Wix

Looking for free web hosting services for your next project? Don’t worry. Wix is here to your rescue. You just need to log in with the platform, add your content and you are all set with your blog. Besides this, you get to use premium features in the VIP plan for free for 14 days. If you are not satisfied with the features, you can cancel the VIP plan anytime and use the free resources. There are tons of templates available to choose from for your next project. You can customize all the design elements quickly with the editor.

Our Expert Rating: 92% Pros Free unlimited web hosting Mobile app support Free SSL certificate Cons Broadcast Wix name in the domain in the free plan Few features in free hosting services

6. WordPress

Do you dream of free web hosting to create your fun projects in the form of blogs and websites. WordPress offers free website hosting services to share your ideas and spread your wings in the online world. All you need is to join the platform and you get access to create your website. Besides this, you can choose different themes for your project from the vast library. This way you can lift the stress of designing from your shoulders and focus more on your content. In case your website is earning good profit and you look to increase the resources, then you can shift to a yearly plan and enjoy premium features. You can easily install new plugins to increase your productivity and incorporate the power of SEO

Our Expert Rating: 92% Pros Regular backups and updates Quick and simple interface No hidden cost for hosting services Cons Users have to include WordPress.com in the domain No premium features in the free plan

7. x10 Hosting

x10 hosting's free plan provides all the basic resources to get your online presence started. You get access to Direct admin, 2 databases, 3 professional email addresses, 3 domains, and 500 MB storage. There are no hidden costs in the free plan and you can always avail its the services without any stress or time limit. However, in case you need more resources, you can easily shift to the paid alternative and get access to unlimited resources for your project.

Our Expert Rating: 90% Pros Self and community support One-click software installation Flexible web hosting Cons Less storage Difficult cancellation process

8. Byet

Get ready to harness the power of free hosting with no ads for your next project with Byet Hosting. From static to dynamic websites, you can launch anything with this excellent hosting provider. You get an FTP account and file manager for ease of usage. Further, you get 5 add-on, parked, and subdomains for free. The best thing about this plan is that you get a free site builder with different templates. With it you quickly design your website and launch it.

Our Expert Rating: 90% Pros Access to Softaculous script installer Instant activation 24/7 support Cons Self-signed SSL certificates only

9. 000Webhost

Powered by Hostinger, 000Webhost offers an amazing free alternative. Their plan remains forever free and comes with Zyro website builder. You can easily create one website with 300 MB disk space. Moreover, you will have 1 FTP account, 1 MySQL Database and 99% uptime guarantee. There are some drawbacks, of course. No free domain and no subdomains, no free SSL certificate as well. However, you can swiftly upgrade to one of Hostinger's paid plans. They start from $1.99 and come with a lot more perks.

Our Expert Rating: 88% Pros Cloudflare Protected Nameservers 1 FTP Account 1 MySQL Database Cons No live support No free domain

The good and the bad sides of using a free plan

Measuring the pros and cons of free website hosting is crucial. It is good to be prepared with information that can can help you in the long run. So, let’s begin!

Pros of using a free plan

• A free plan often promises a completely free domain and hosting.
• It is the best for beginners who are experimenting with different free trial plans. This lets you have a clear idea of which company to invest in!
• Along with free hosting with cPanel, you can get a free domain, or even free email.
• It also helps people who want to learn practical web development without any hassle.

Cons of using a free plan.

• It always comes with bandwidth and storage restrictions.
• This plan showcases less privacy and security features.
• There may be slow page loads and lots of ads on the site.
• The technical support is either not present or very bad.

How safe is free web hosting?

As discussed in the previous section, the safety of free hosting is always a vexed question. It is because most reliable free web hosting services maintain a basic level of security. Further, it is always questioned if your data requires advanced security features. Thus, it all depends upon the type of data you share and the web hosting provider you use. Some of them showcase forced ads. Others limit you in different ways – no SSL certificate, in example. This means that your overall experience may be hindered.

Moreover, moving your site to a new provider when it becomes popular is a whole new nightmare. Free hosting providers often seek a higher charge when it comes to their paid services. As per their hidden terms and details, they may start owning your content too. Thus, data safety is always a big problem when it comes to your site security.

Simple precautions to ease your safety woes to some extent

• Firstly, make it a point to use free web hosting from safe web hosting providers only. Luckily, we discussed those in the previous sections.
• Secondly, never compromise on any security quotient for free services.
• Thirdly, read all the terms and conditions thoroughly before making a final choice.

The importance of a custom domain

Honestly speaking, a personalized domain name is a must. It gives you the chance to present yourself as reliable and professional. Customers will see you as someone willing to put the extra effort. This will definitely increase their trust and help you establish your brand. A majority of web hosting providers let you register a custom domain with them. Furthermore, this is often offered for free for up to a year as part of a hosting package. Owning a domain, however, cannot remain free forever. At some point you will have to pay to renew it. Moreover, you won’t be able to purchase one indefinitely. Your custom name can be reserved for up to 10 years at a time. Make sure you update your renewal, or you risk losing it.

How to register a domain

1. Choose your registrar – it can be a standalone service, or your web hosting provider.
2. Think of a good name that fits your business well.
3. Choose your suffix – .com, .net, .org – depending on your needs.
4. Check the availability. Tons of personalized names are registered daily. If yours is not available, don’t be discouraged. Just be creative.
5. Choose how long you wish to hold this domain name. As we stated, you can’t keep it indefinitely. You will have to renew your registration regularly.
6. Pay for your reservation. If you got it for free with your host – that’s great! You will have to pay when it’s time for renewal.
7. Now you’re ready to set up your website and business email.

What is a subdomain and how can I use one?

Now that you know how to register a domain let’s talk about an alternative. You are able to create a new domain using the subdomain feature. It refers to the process of using your already available domain and changing the ‘www’ to your intended alternative. Let’s suppose your domain name is: www.example.com, this means the subdomain can be: blog.example.com or support.example.com, etc., as you like. Don’t worry! It will be a completely new webpage with its own unique content. A good domain, and further – subdomain name, is always a plus. It lets you stand out more. Moreover, being recognizable among the competition is important!

How to create and use a subdomain

1. Start by logging into the cPanel of your website hosting.
2. Now go to the Domains section and tap on ‘Subdomains.’
3. Once you find the subdomain option, just tap on it. 
4. Pick the domain name of which you want to create an alternative. Also, type the required subdomain. 
5. When you do this, you can see that the document root gets automatically filled.
6. Tap on the Create option.

Top sites that offer free subdomain with hosting

Boost your next project with InfinityFree hosting and open a new world of opportunities for your brand. With a 99.9% uptime guarantee, the provider offers free unlimited web hosting. You can host any domain and there are no frustrating ads on your site. Furthermore, you get 5 GB disk space, unlimited bandwidth, and 400 MySQL databases. With Softaculous Installer, you can install apps, scripts, and CMS within a few clicks of your mouse.

Our Expert Rating: 100% Pros Free subdomain hosting Free DNS service Free SSL certificates on all the domains Cons Ads on cPanel

AwardSpace offers free website hosting with custom domains with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. The provider offers firewall protection and spam/virus protection for better data security and privacy. With the single-click CSM installer, you can set up WordPress and Joomla in no time. Further, you can host one domain and then add 3 subdomains for free. The platform is completely ad-free and you get round the clock undaunted customer support.

Our Expert Rating: 98% Pros Free website builder Instant account activation Full MySQL database support Cons Limited data centers

With no forced ads, interactive website builder, malware protection, cPanel, and business emails, you get the full package with GoogieHost free web hosting services. The website builder allows you to create the website design in no time even if you are not proficient in any programming language. You get free subdomains to create websites instantly.

Our Expert Rating: 96% Pros Support of Softaculous Auto Installer Ultra-fast web hosting services Free SSL certificates Cons No premium dedicated support

A few final words

In the end, make it a point to check every minute detail about your desired free hosting provider. Moreover, make sure you’re not overlooking the security aspect. It plays a pivotal role in keeping your trust in a particular provider while you use their services. Free web hosting can definitely charm you with its amazing offer. However, you must never ignore the risks that come with it. Always read the fine print and stay protected.

Is it a good idea to choose free web hosting, though? Well, we say – yes! If it is your first website, definitely go for it. There is nothing better than trial and error. You will test all features yourself and find out what suits you best. However, if you have big plans such as earning revenue through ads or affiliate links, you must be very careful with the hidden conditions. Now, start creating your website!

FAQ